0
Park Byeong-seug, former National Assembly speaker and head of President Lee Jae-myung’s special delegation, delivers a personal letter from Lee to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on August 24. / Joint Press Corps

A special delegation from President Lee Jae-myung delivered a personal letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 24, marking the first official engagement of their visit to Beijing. The move comes as both sides signal willingness to mend strained ties ahead of October’s APEC summit in Gyeongju.

The delegation, led by former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, met with Wang Yi, Chinese Politburo member and foreign minister, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Handing over the letter, Park said, “On this meaningful day of the 33rd anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations, we hope this visit will help put bilateral ties back on the right track after years of strain.”

Park conveyed President Lee’s emphasis on the strategic partnership, stating, “Our president attaches great importance to relations with China and hopes to develop a partnership that tangibly benefits the people of both nations.” He also extended a formal request for Xi to attend the APEC summit in Gyeongju in late October.

Wang welcomed the delegation, remarking that they had come “at the right time.” He highlighted that Xi and Lee had already agreed in their earlier phone call to elevate the strategic cooperative partnership, stressing, “China has consistently valued relations with Korea, and we now have a clear direction for the next stage.”

The talks were initially scheduled for August 25 but were moved up to a dinner meeting on the 24th. Alongside Park, the delegation included Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jeong, as well as Noh Jae-heon, head of the East Asia Cultural Foundation.

On the Chinese side, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Asia bureau chief Liu Jinsong, and other senior officials attended. South Korean officials included Deputy Ambassador Kim Han-kyu.

The delegation will continue its visit with meetings on August 26 with Vice President Han Zheng and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress, China’s No. 3 official. However, no meeting with Xi himself is scheduled, underscoring lingering tensions in bilateral ties.